Nut-lock.



`rna'iTn'D STATES PATENT onirica ARTHUR n. DoneLnss .inn .1 /inns` n. wiLLn'rrfon-eiranrron, iowa, Assionons or cnn-mman lro PETER E. vait, or cnnnifron, Iowa.

NUT-Loox. p

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

Application led April v19, 1909'. Serial No. 490,785.

- United States, residing at Ghariton, in the county of Lucas and State of Iowayhave, invented certain new and useful Improvements in aNut-Lock, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to improvements in means for lockingnuts on screw-bolts, and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation of theparts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set fort-h and specifically claimed. Y

The principal object of the invention is to provide a nut-lock, which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, s'troI-ig,

durable and' effective in operation, and so made that it can be readily screwed 4on a bolt in the usual manner, and' there securely retained toI the endthat it will be prevented from accidental nnscrewing by reason of the vibration to which thenut and bolt may be subjected. p

A further object of the invention is to so construct the nutlockthat when it is desired to remove the nut the same can be done with great ease or facility no matter how closely the nut may bel located.. to another part so long as there is`roo1n enough o the nut to be turned backwardl-y on the Other objects and advantages of the invention wil'lbe disclosed i'n the sulojoinedI description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the drawing, in whichl p Figure l is a view partly in section and partly in elevation taken on line m-eof.

Fig. 2 lookin in the direction indicated by the arrows o a bolt having a lnut-lock embodying our invention mounted thereon andshowing the nut in locked'position; Fig. 2 is an outer end view of the nut-lock and bolt;`

Fig.` 3 is an outer end o'r face view ofthe nut removed from the bolt, showing a portion of the locking-pring in the chamber of f the nut therefor an illustrating one end of said portion of the spring in engagement with"l the terminal or end'of the screw-.thread lss-:ofthe nut; Fig. lis acentral sectional view of the nut with the 'locking-spring removed;

' and Fig.' 5' is a detached perspective view of the locking-spring.

Likenumerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the diferent views/of the drawing. v

The reference numeral 7 designates a bolt, which may be of the ordinary or any preferred f construction, and.' is provided, as..

usual, at one of its ends with screw-threads 8 to engage the threads 9 of'the nu-t 10,

which nut may be of any suitable size and shape externally. -As is` clearly shown in the different views of the drawing the nut 10` is provided with a central aperture which is .enlarged at its outer portionto form .a chamber 11 which chamber extends inwardly ofthe nut a sufficient distance to receive a plurality of coils. of the locking-spring 12, f

which'may be made of any good and. suitable material.

By reference to Figs. 1, 3 and 4f of the y; i

drawing it will be seen that the screwthreads 9-of the nut terminate at their inner ends at the inner portion of thechamber 11,

thus forming. an abrupt shoulder 13 against which vthe end vof the inner coil of the spring 12 will abut, thus causing said end of the spring to engage the nut. The louter surface or. face of the'fnut is-provided'with a segmental recess 14, which communicates,`pref erablthroughout itsentire length, with the c amber ll, and is for the receptionoj' a. looped portion 15,with which the outer ortion of the locking-spring 12- is'provided upon itself. The looped portion of the lock.- ingLspring is of sufficlent length to t snuglyl in the segmental recess 14, that'is, so that its free end may rest against one of the endwalls of said recess andits bent end againstthe other end-wall of said recess, as will be clearlyunderstood by reference to Fi 2 of the drawing. The outer surface or ace of the nut 10 is also provided with an open ended slot 16, which is somewhat deeper than the recess 14, and is for the purpose of receiving a suitable instrument to be inserted under the looped portion 15 of the lockingspring when 1t is desredrto relax the tenslon of said spring in order that the nut maybe removed.

-Itwill be observed by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing that the slot 16 is located near'the free end 'of the looped portion l5 9o y bending the same approximately back of the spring, so that when an instrument is inserted under said looped portionit will offer but little resistance 1n being pried out of the recess. H

. The operation of the device is simple and as follows: The locking-spring 12 is placed in the chamber 11 so that its inner end will be free from the shoulder 13 or terminal of the screw-threads of the nuts, while the looped portion will lie in the segmental recess 14, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. When the parts are thus arranged the nut may be screwed onto the threaded portion of the bolt 7 in which operation it is apparent that the coils of the spring 12 will act .as a continuation of the screw-threaded portion of the nut or will engagethe screwthreaded portion of the bolt which comes in contact therewith. The screwing of the nut onthe bolt will have a tendency to eX- pand vthe coils of the locking-spring so that the latter does not interfere with the inward movement of the nut on the bolt. The tension of the spring leaves the nut locked in any position left on the bolt, while the free end 15 of the spring is engaged in the segmental recess 14 of the nut. Any backward motion of the nut bears against the outer f free end 15 of the spring making the spring grip the bolt-threads all the tighter, thus efectually preventing the removal of the nut. Vhen it is desired to remove the nut the free portion of the looped part 15 of the locking-spring may be removed from the segmental recess 14, when a slight backthat it may be used wherever desired and for any suitable purpose.

It is manifest that the improved nut-lock -oan be easily and cheaply manufactured,

and that, by reason of the peculiar construction and location of the parts thereof, es ecially of the se mental recess, open en ed slot and loop ortion of the lockingspring, access to t e looped portion of the spring may be had in order that 1t may be removed from its recess to relax the tension of the spring, so long as access to the nut can be attained, thus renderin' it possible to easily remove the nut when esired.'

As the looped portion 15 of the lockingspring lies circumferentially 'with respect to the bolt, it is apparent that when the nut is turned in either direction the strain on the looped portion will be presented in the direction of the greatest resistance, that is, longitudinally thereof, which will insure absolute protection against the loss or accidental removal of the nut.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

A nut provided with a screw-threaded opening extending from its inner surface partly through the nut, the inner end of the screw -threads terminating abruptly and forming a shoulder, the nut having in its outer portion an unthreaded chamber concentric and communicating with the threaded opening thereof, the nut also having in its outer portion a segmental recess in communicat-ion with the chamber and provided near one end of said recess with an open ended slot, a locking-springllocated within said chamber and providedon its outer portion with a looped part to lie in the segmental slot with its fends in engagement with the ends of said slot, the inner end of said spring adapted to engage the shoulder formed by the inner end of the screwthreads of the nut when the latter is moved backwardly for vthe the locking-spring.

ARTHUR R. DOUGLAS JAMES F. WILLETT;

purpose of releasing 

